free show!

i played a venue recently where the owner was planning on taking donations at the door. halfway through the night he informed me that he decided not to ask people for money. i was ok with this because i had planned on the show being free anyway.

there was a lot of foot traffic outside the venue so i decided to take sharpie to paper and create a small sign to put in the window, hoping to fuel the fire a bit and get more people inside (as if the music itself wasn’t already alluring enough). grabbed some tape, showed my sign to the owner, plastered it up and called it a night. simple enough right?

wrong.

later in the evening i was outside enjoying some fresh air and i noticed the sign was gone. sabotage? who would do such a thing?! oh there’s the owner walking by now. let me ask him.

he took it down. what? but why?

he proceeded to explain to me his reasoning behind the simple act. it’s the same reason why he doesn’t have a lamp outside to light the venue. and it’s the same reason why he has yet to call the city about the street post lamp that constantly flickers on and off, spending the majority of it’s time in the off position.

this isn’t a hole in the wall and this isn’t a dive bar.

but it is a hot spot.

and if you haven’t heard about the show, you’re going to miss something great.

 

---

 

to the owner of said establishment: thank you for reminding me about something that i often lose sight of.

 

---

 

 

yes we all have bills to pay, but it’s not always about the money. and it’s not always about the number of bodies we can get out to a show. it’s about the art. it’s about the music. it’s about the atmosphere.

a wise man once told me “what will be left of all the fearing and wanting associated with your problematic life situation that every day takes up most of your attention? a dash – one or two inches long, between the date of birth and date of death on your gravestone.”

-marc